P
Over the course of 23 years, journalist José Luis Calderón has witnessed political turmoil, public demonstrations, violent conflicts, and natural disasters in Guayaquil. However, he had never before been the subject of a news story himself.
On a Tuesday afternoon, the 47-year-old journalist overheard commotion and the sound of individuals rushing through the hallways of TC Televisión, the network where they are employed. Initially, it was believed to be a physical altercation, but as the commotion grew louder, it became apparent that it was not.
When chaos erupted in the newsroom near the studio, Calderón and two female coworkers sought refuge in the bathroom. Realizing the severity of the situation, he quickly contacted his brother-in-law for help. He explained the emergency and urged him to call 911 as he was trapped and hiding. He also mentioned that his colleagues were distraught.
Next door, more than a dozen masked gang members carrying explosives and guns had stormed the channel’s studio as its cameras rolled, broadcasting the attack to the nation – and soon the world. Moments later they barged into the bathroom and ordered Calderón and his colleagues out.
“They were children – children armed with guns. Chaotic. Impulsive. They appeared content. They appeared to take pride in their actions – but I do not believe it was true pride,” stated Calderón. “It was almost as if they were playing a dangerous and deadly game.”
Calderón joined his hands in a prayer-like gesture as one of the weapons was held against his throat. A cell phone was brought out and the journalist was instructed to send a message to the outside world. “Let them know,” one of the criminals barked, “that if the police enter, we will end your life.”
“Nothing like this has every happened before. I just can’t explain this,” the shell-shocked journalist said the next day during an interview at his home. “All I can do is give thanks that we are alive.”
The attack on the TV station was the peak of a week filled with violence and chaos, which has surprised a nation that was previously known as one of the safest in South America. In other parts of Ecuador, numerous prison guards were held captive, buildings and cars were set on fire, car bombs exploded, and at least 16 individuals lost their lives.
According to Lt Marcelo Gutiérrez, a spokesperson for Ecuador’s navy, the country has always been known as a peaceful and tranquil island. This statement was made on Thursday as numerous troops were mobilized to regain control after a series of seemingly planned attacks.
In the last four years, Ecuador has experienced a significant increase in violence due to the presence of Mexican cartels, crime syndicates, and the Albanian mafia. This is largely driven by the lucrative cocaine trade, which has attracted these groups to the country. As a result, Ecuador has become one of the most dangerous countries in Latin America with a high murder rate. Local newspapers regularly report gruesome crimes such as beheadings, mutilations, and bombings.
“According to organized crime expert Chris Dalby, the primary source of violence in Ecuador is the use of drugs in Europe. He stated that the port of Guayaquil on the Pacific coast is a major hub for exporting cocaine from neighboring countries Colombia and Peru, which are the largest producers in the world.”
“The number one transatlantic cocaine trafficking route is Guayaquil to Antwerp … [although] you’re now beginning to see Ecuadorean cocaine showing up in smaller ports – Le Havre in France, Lisbon, Gioia Tauro in Italy, Portsmouth in England, Gothenburg in Sweden. It’s turning up everywhere,” added Dalby, who runs the investigative journalism outlet World of Crime. “The unending demand for cocaine in Europe is what is fuelling the Ecuadorian drug war.”
Ecuador’s rapidly intensifying crisis caught the world’s attention last August when presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was assassinated on the campaign trail after pledging to crack down on corruption and drug trafficking. That crime was blamed on Los Lobos (The Wolves), one of more than 20 organized crime groups squabbling for control of Ecuador’s drug trade – and one of the groups on which the election’s eventual winner, Daniel Noboa, this week declared his government at war.
“I will not succumb to wickedness – we will persistently battle,” stated the 36-year-old leader, as he declared a state of “internal armed conflict” in Ecuador in response to the raid on TC Televisión on Tuesday.
According to reports, over 22,000 soldiers have been deployed to search for and eliminate the gangs.
On Thursday night, a group of heavily armed air force and police members drove through the deserted streets of Guayaquil in pickup trucks as part of Noboa’s new campaign against gangs.
The initial goal was Las Orquídeas, a lower-income neighborhood near the heavily guarded prison where the recent chaos began following the disappearance of a well-known gang leader named Fito from his cell.
Soldiers spread out on a residential street, and a police officer dressed in black used a metal battering ram to forcefully enter a one-story house. Bright green laser sights could be seen moving along the walls and rooftops, while other soldiers quickly climbed onto buildings and searched for any potential dangers hidden in the shadows.
In a public area with various playground equipment, two partially clothed men were lying on the ground near a group of armed air force soldiers. One man was from Colombia and the other was from Venezuela. The soldiers noted their tattoos and proceeded to question them. Shortly after, the men were heard screaming and in pain as they were being forced to provide information using weapons and boots.
However, despite these actions, the daily killings have persisted with regularity. Later that day, a killer entered a nearby hair salon and shot at people during the day, resulting in the death of one person and injury of a hairstylist, before escaping.
The police cordoned off the location using yellow tape typically used at crime scenes. The body collectors arrived and shortly after the murder, the owners of the salon began cleaning up the victim’s blood and hair, washing it away on the porch. The victim’s grieving mother buried her face in another woman’s chest and cried. “I couldn’t believe it was true,” she sobbed. “They must have mistaken him for someone else,” the other woman comforted her.
Calderón was fortunate to have escaped the same outcome. The reporter was released when specialized police forces successfully regained control of the television station’s studios, apprehending 13 armed individuals.
A ricocheting bullet caused an injury to one hostage, but otherwise Calderón’s colleagues were unharmed.
The journalist who adores jazz made his way home, navigating deserted streets, to an apartment adorned with Miles Davis and John Coltrane posters. Once there, he turned on some music and poured himself a generous serving of single malt whisky.
Calderón expressed nostalgia for his childhood in a previous version of Guayaquil, describing it as a peaceful and serene place.
What was the current outlook for Ecuador’s future? “Uncertain,” responded Calderón. “Completely uncertain.”
Source: theguardian.com
